


It's Not Easy, Being in Love

by mothercetrion



Category: Mortal Kombat (Video Games), Mortal Kombat - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Brief mentions of nightmares, First Love, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Nightwolf is Saved—AU, Past Character Death, brief mentions of revenancy, fujin is a SAP, tags will be added when im less tired fsgks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:15:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24419491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mothercetrion/pseuds/mothercetrion
Summary: Fujin is grateful that he found the courage to ask Nightwolf out. His long life has never been filled with so much happiness.
Relationships: Fujin/Nightwolf (Mortal Kombat)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 54





	It's Not Easy, Being in Love

When Fujin wakes up in the morning, the first thing that he notices is that Nightwolf is not in the bed next to him.

It is still dark out, so early that Fujin has woken before the sun itself, but he notices the lack of Nightwolf’s presence in their bed instantaneously.

They live in the woods of Earthrealm. When Fujin decided to leave the Sky Temple, he moved in with Nightwolf in his humble home near the place he grew up. It is a wooden log cabin, built by Nightwolf himself, with vast clearings on either side for training, lounging, or whatever they desire. There is a lake up a pathway for swimming or fishing. Fujin can lift them into the trees so they can look out at the world around them for miles. It is a blissful location, a place that both of them are honored to call home.

Fujin rises from their shared bed, putting on warm slippers and wandering out of their bedroom. Moving through the hallways with silent steps, he pulls his long hair into a messy bun, hoping to keep it out of his way until he has the time to brush it later in the morning. It is a grand ordeal, a task that he simply has no time to conquer. He has to find Nightwolf. He is always his top priority.

A glance out the window in the kitchen confirms his suspicions. On their back porch, still dressed in his pajamas and still looking rather tired, sits Nightwolf in their porch swing. He is awaiting the sun’s rising. It isn’t the most common of occurrences—once Nightwolf learned the joys of sleeping in, he took advantage of it rather frequently—but it is a lovely sight to see him enjoying the nature he so strongly loved.

Fujin opens the door to their back porch and steps outside. Nightwolf looks up from the horizon, and he instantly smiles. “You’re up early.”

“You woke up before me,” Fujin says sweetly. He sits down on the swing and moves an arm around Nightwolf’s side. Nightwolf leans into him, allowing Fujin to easily kiss his forehead. “Is there a reason you’ve decided to partake in the sunrise?”

Nightwolf grabs at Fujin’s spare hand, pressing a kiss to the tips of his fingers. “I woke up very early and couldn’t fall back asleep. I decided that this morning was as good as any.”

Fujin nods with a soft sigh. The plague of a lack of sleep… It was an unfortunate situation. “It’s always good to start your mornings with the sunrise,” he muses. “We can always nap later.”

Nightwolf leans over to fully rest on Fujin’s shoulder, returning a sigh. “Very true, my love.”

Fujin cannot help but smile at the sentimental pet name.

It has been well over four years since he had gained the courage to ask Nightwolf to be his. It had been a decision that came with countless days, months, of thought. He refused to make any romantic moves towards Nightwolf—someone he deeply admired and cared about—without being fully sure of his feelings.

And that strong consideration was what made their love stronger. He was sure of it.

The instant that he realized that he had fallen for Nightwolf caused a whirlwind of emotions. Never in Fujin’s life had he fallen for anyone—no god, no mortal, no one. Romantic feelings were something that he desired, but he never met anyone that stirred them within him. That was… until he met Nightwolf.

He saw him for the first time in a passing glance. Raiden had welcomed him on their side for the Mortal Kombat Tournament. Raiden introduced them to one another, and immediately, Fujin found Nightwolf to be respectable. He hailed from the Matoka, a tribe that he spoke so fondly of that Fujin found himself liking them from his kind words alone. He spoke of the importance of his title as Nightwolf in his tribe; he was “undeserving of the honor” to be the best of his people. He worked to prove to them that he was worthy, and he fought to protect them from otherworldly forces.

From his words alone, Fujin knew that he was worthy of the title.

The events of the tournament came. When they were not busy representing Earthrealm, the two of them spent time together. Fujin was drawn to his focus on the future, the love he carried for those close to him, and his unique connection to forces that Fujin would never understand. They bonded over their love for both their families and for Earthrealm. Fujin found himself able to confide in him his deepest concerns, most hidden secrets, after just a few days.

When the calamitous end to several Earthrealm allies came, Nightwolf sacrificed his own life to protect the living protectors of Earthrealm from a corrupted Sindel’s wrath. Fujin was notified, and the moment he found out, he was… devastated. It was the strongest anguish he had felt in his many years of life. He knew the concerns of getting attached to a mortal, especially one who was willing to do anything for his people, but he ignored the warnings passed down for thousands of years. He became attached, and he suffered.

Months later, rumors emerged of restoring some of the Revenants to their human forms. Raiden told him while at the Sky Temple. Fujin was stunned, and he immediately expressed a desire to restore Nightwolf. Raiden teased him of his strong attachment to the Earthrealmer, and Fujin excused it as a love for his desire to protect other people. He sacrificed himself for the sake of others. He was the most selfless man that Fujin had ever met. 

“If anyone is worthy of a second chance at life,” Fujin said, “it is someone as honorable as Nightwolf.”

With that, Raiden swore to his brother that he would try as hard as he could to restore him. Thus, when Raiden traveled to the Netherrealm with Johnny and Sonya, he was thankful to the Elder Gods that Nightwolf’s Revenant form came alongside Kuai Liang, Hanzo, and Jax to defeat them. 

It was that evening that Raiden came to the Sky Temple and informed Fujin of the delightful news. Alongside several other valuable Earthrealm allies, Nightwolf had been restored to his former self. He was alive.

Fujin was overjoyed at the news. He and Raiden traveled together to the medical ward of the Special Forces base, where the restored Revenants were being monitored. No one wanted them to be sent to live on their own without being sure that they were mentally stable. It was a precaution, if anything. Raiden and Fujin had faith in it.

Sonya told them immediately that Nightwolf seemed well-off. He had high spirits, and he was asking if the others were safe. She also pointed out that he asked about Fujin.

The wind god went to visit him immediately. He was eating some sort of meal when Fujin walked in, and without hesitation, Nightwolf put down his fork and greeted him eagerly. Fujin had never been happier to see a man smile than he had been then.

Nightwolf was cleared to leave the medical ward that day, but a medical advisor urged for him to stay with someone to be extra sure that he would be okay. Nightwolf said that he would prefer if Fujin was there with him.

“Who better to accompany me than someone who can blow my troubles away in the wind?” Nightwolf said.

They decided to reside at the Sky Temple following Raiden’s permission to have Nightwolf as an exclusive guest. He and Fujin shared a bedroom, where they spent their days recovering Nightwolf’s strength through light training and sparring, eating, and resting if Nightwolf even slightly implied that he was tired, even if he insisted that he wasn’t.

Some nights were rough. Despite his positive outlook and insistence on not focusing on the past, Nightwolf had still undergone trauma. He still died. He was still a goon of Quan Chi, forced to be evil against his will. There were nights where Fujin would come back from a walk in the extremely early morning and saw that Nightwolf had not slept a minute. He would discuss his feelings with him, the experiences he faced, as much as he wanted until he was able to get some sleep. There were other nights where Fujin would be woken from his light slumber to see Nightwolf trembling in his bed, woken by a nightmare but being too proud to ask for help. On these nights, upon getting permission, he would hold Nightwolf as he cried; he assured him for as long as it took that he was safe. He would run his hand through his hair with the gentlest of touches, and he would ease Nightwolf to sleep and stay awake the rest of the night, making sure that he got the rest he needed.

Even though the gods did not need as much sleep as Earthrealmers (or even Edenians) to get by, Fujin found himself staying up for days to make sure that Nightwolf was recovering, and the lack of sleep began to take its toll, but he did not change his actions. Raiden asked him about his sudden exhaustion, and Fujin replied simply: “I would do it a thousand times over for him.”

But the days where Nightwolf was defeating Fujin in sparring, eating, and smiling outweighed those rough nights. Fujin saw firsthand how much stronger that Nightwolf was becoming, both physically and mentally, and it was something that made him smile if he ever thought about it. He even sometimes told Nightwolf about his incredible strides towards a happier life. Nightwolf always assured him that it was not a solo effort.

“I would be nowhere without you, Fujin,” he said. “I am forever indebted to you.”

Perhaps it was then that Fujin began to fall for him. But he didn’t realize it. 

Around three weeks after beginning his stay at the Sky Temple, Nightwolf announced that he felt as though he was healthy enough to live on his own once more. He wanted to return to the States and live with his people, and he wanted to begin the rest of his life. He would still honor Earthrealm in kombat whenever his assistance was required, but he wanted to begin life on his own. He thanked Raiden and Fujin for offering their home to him, and before he left, he thanked Fujin for giving him the strength to carry on. He swore that Fujin was a lifelong ally, and he was forever indebted to him.

With that, Nightwolf went home.

And Fujin missed him. 

He missed the smell of the woods that came off of him no matter what. He missed his soft humming when he was sharpening his weaponry. He missed his whispered thank-yous to the Great Spirit every night before he slept. Fujin missed Nightwolf so strongly that he wandered the Sky Temple in hopes of finding something to occupy his mind of something that wasn’t the warrior.

Three more weeks following his departure, coupled with the fact that Fujin wrote back and forth with Nightwolf nearly daily, Fujin came to realize that he had fallen for Nightwolf. It wasn’t friendship that drove him to care for Nightwolf so strongly. It was love.

In honesty, Fujin did not know what to think. Would he pursue his feelings? Was it worth it falling for a mortal? Did Nightwolf… reciprocate his feelings? He hadn’t a clue. 

And one eve, over dinner, he confessed to Raiden these feelings of uncertainty. Raiden, to be blunt, was stunned.

He had always warned Fujin of the dangers of getting strongly attached to Earthrealmers. Their short lifespans compared to those of gods always left their hearts shattered. Raiden did not want him to go through that pain. Fujin simply cast his gaze away from his brother and uttered words that left Raiden silent for several seconds.

“To see him smile, Raiden… To be in his life,” he said, “is worth my heart shattering a thousand times. I need this time with him before he is gone.”

With that, Raiden knew there was no convincing him of anything different. His heart was set. He never told him to find Nightwolf, but he told him that the day was still young. Fujin had no other plans. He needed to follow his heart. 

And with that, Fujin left for Earthrealm. He knew that Nightwolf lived among the Matoka in the United States, but his exact location was unknown. But he would search for miles to see him.

Fujin’s arrival was met with shocked stares from the Matoka. He said to them, “I need to speak to Nightwolf. It is urgent.”

Fortunately for him, Nightwolf was there. He pleaded him to speak to him in private, and he was grateful that Nightwolf granted him such a thing. 

And with his heart on his sleeve and exactly no thoughts in his brain as to what he would say, Fujin spoke. “Nightwolf, I have traveled all this way to tell you my feelings about you. My true feelings. I… I hope that you will listen to my words with the most open of hearts.”

Fujin let out a nervous sigh. “Please know that no matter how you take these words, I care so deeply about you. These months of knowing you, these months of hoping for your rescue… I have realized how big of an impact you have made on me. I have realized just how important you are to me, and I mean that in a way that… that is far beyond the protection of Earthrealm. It’s—It’s more along the lines of love.”

Nightwolf’s warm expression turned surprised in an instant. But his smile remained as Fujin continued. “I have been warned throughout my existence that becoming attached to mortals is a mistake. But… But knowing you is the furthest thing from a mistake. Knowing you is one of the greatest things that I have been blessed to experience. There is no one in this world like you, no one that I have ever met in my life is as selfless, honorable, and kind as you. Your love for your people, your love for Earthrealm… It’s amazing. It’s beautiful.” Fujin’s hands began to shake as the meaning of his own words sank into his heart.

They felt right. It was the truth.

“I suppose that what I have come here to say is…” Fujin couldn’t help but laugh. “I have fallen for you, Nightwolf. Will you give me the opportunity to show you how fond I am of you?”

Nightwolf’s kind smile had only grown. He took a step forward and grabbed Fujin’s shaking hands, squeezing them. Fujin smiled back. 

“Oh, Fujin… Of course I will.”

Something beautiful begins.

And in the present day, the sun begins to rise in a beautiful sky.

Nightwolf lifts himself from Fujin’s shoulder to get a good look. The sky quickly becomes filled with an array of colors—reds, oranges, pinks, blues. The beauty of the sky leaves both Fujin and Nightwolf speechless for several minutes. No two sunrises are the same. It’s something that they both adore beyond measure.

When the sky has become mostly blue, Fujin turns to Nightwolf with a kind smile. “Care for breakfast, love?”

Nightwolf returns the smile, and he kisses Fujin’s nose. “I would want nothing more.”

Fujin moves his kiss to Nightwolf’s lips before he can fully lean away. And there they sit, on a porch swing and in love. 

Falling in love is never an easy thing. But what can make life better than someone you can love with all your heart?


End file.
